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Thursday, August 8, 2013

And the Roaccutane journey begins.

Hello lovelies,

As you may have gathered from the post title, I started on a course of Roaccutane about a month ago. Part of this is to treat my adult acne, while the rest of it is to help my skin in an overall manner.

I've always been hesitant to take hormonal pills as my menstrual cycle is very regular and I'd hate to mess that up, but I've always had acne on my back, and I do get the odd hormonal breakouts around that 'time of the month', which can honestly be very annoying (and painful) to deal with. I've always taken great care of my skin but nothing seems to have worked particularly well in eradicating the acne. Breakouts can be a hard thing to manage/prevent, as it can be caused by genetics, hormones, weather, a reaction to products, diet, stress...the list is endless, and frankly, very exhausting.

Read more after the jump!

In the past year or so, I've had a bit of bad luck with some random skin problems which have landed me in hospital a couple of times (nothing serious, but painful and always at the worst possible time), so the hope is that Roaccutane will solve all of these issues. My acne isn't as bad as it could be, but I've grown quite tired of always having it, so it will be a tremendous relief, not to mention a great boost to my confidence, if I can get rid of it forever. Having acne at 30 is pretty embarrassing, as well as a huge pain in the you-know-where, and it certainly does not help your cause when you are also a beauty blogger!

I'm not going to share photos of my 'naked' face, mainly because I don't think anyone needs to be subjected to that, but I will keep you all updated on my progress. I'm on a low dose of 10 mg/kg a day for six months (five left to go), so with any luck, my skin will be much improved by February next year!

In the first two weeks of starting the course, I definitely noticed the 'skin purge' happening, where I was having more breakouts than normal (my skin had never looked so terrible). It had cleared up a bit by the start of the third week but then I started to notice excessive dryness around my chin and nose. I had to resort to using a really thick and heavy moisturiser (Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil-Free Moisturising Lotion) which I layered on top of a generous slathering of rosehip oil (mainly Kosmea, but I also kept a bottle of Akin RHO at work). The dryness was quite annoying, I would leave home after having applied moisturiser, and by noon, I'd notice the dry skin appearing again (so reapplying the Akin RHO really helped). I had to be very careful with reapplying as it did end up abrading the skin a bit, causing it to become red and a bit sore by the time I got home from work.

Fortunately, the dryness has cleared up now so my skin is looking normal again. The only problem is it was time for my 'monthly' again, and I've noticed some new breakouts which are a bit worse than I'd normally get pre-Roaccutane! Hopefully these blemishes clear up soon too, and I notice a lessening in new breakouts from here on out. I will say that my makeup is sitting better on my skin after being on Roaccutane for a month. I think it's because it's less oily, or maybe just a bit less congested? I have had a few comments from friends that my skin is looking better. I actually end up coming home with makeup that looks like it has been freshly applied, even after a whole day at work!

I haven't really noticed anything else noteworthy to date. I've always had chronically dry lips anyway, so they are perhaps just a bit more dry than usual, but I've been slathering on plenty of lipbalm (I use 1 Skin Solution at night and then alternate between my other lip balms like Maybelline baby lips, Burts Bees, Nivea and EOS during the day) as needed. Fortunately, I've always been a lip balm addict, so there's always close to hand!

Overall, lovelies, that's been the past month to date. I'll keep you updated as to how things are going! I've had some marvellous support from friends, particularly the gorgeous Madam M from The Beauty Dispensary, and family (my poor cousin, who happens to be a dermatologist, though not my dermatologist), so I have to say a great big thank you to them for all their advice!

Wish me luck, lovelies!

Have you ever been on Roaccutane? Have you any valuable advice for me?

21 comments:

5 years ago I was on the same dosage of Roaccutane as you and my advice, wait it out and you will definitely be rewarded with results! I used to get clumps of acne around my t-zone and on my back and like you, I found them extremely annoying and painful. I was very self-conscious of my appearance and skin without makeup on even though I hated applying too much because it was so damn oily! I tried every product and remedy under the sun to try and get rid of them but nothing really seemed to work, not permanently anyway. When I first started on the tablets I would get frustrated because it seemed I was getting more pimples, big ones! Plus, my skin was super dry at the same time. But I knew it was just part of the process so I persisted and I'm so happy I did! Like I said, it's been 5 years since I finished on the course of Roaccutane and my skin has never looked better! While I would still class my skin as oily, it's definitely not as oily as it used to be. I only get the odd small pimple here and there (nothing that can't be covered with a dab of concealer) mainly around 'that time of the month,' applying makeup (and making it stay) has never been easier and I receive many compliments on how clear and healthy my skin is (without makeup!). I'm so happy with my skin now and I couldn't speak more highly of my experience having been on Roaccutane. I'm sure everyone's experience is different but other people I've spoken to who have also taken Roaccutane have been so pleased with their results! :)

This is invaluable for me, it's something I have been considering for my son, he's 20 and has always had acne trouble, and asked about it recently. Roaccutane seems like a big unknown step, so it will be good to see "the journey" from a trusted blogger.

I'm so glad that you found it useful, I'll definitely be keeping my readers updated on the progress! Thank you also for the comment re 'trusted blogger', it warms the heart. :) Feel free to ask questions anytime!

Good luck Hun, hope you get the results you are after...remember to wear sunscreen, you probably do anyway, as the Roaccutane can cause increased sun sensitivity and I am sure you have been counseled on .... Hmmm how do I put this...not being in the family way :P as it can cause birth defects.Take care and hopefully soon you will be seeing the results xxClaire

The Made Up Maiden is a Melbourne based beauty blog written by Nalini, a young professional with a great love for all beauty products (but is especially fixated on makeup, nail polish and fragrances).
Working in a male dominated industry by day, she moonlights as a beauty blogger by night, and is always on the lookout for new products to fall in love with! She loves exercising her creative side by showcasing various makeup and nail art looks on the blog.